Gender equality in the workplace has been a focal point globally for the past few years. The Randstad Workmonitor survey looked at employee sentiments around this topic and it reveals interesting findings. Fifty-five per cent of the overall survey respondents from India indicated that men are favoured over women when two candidates are equally qualified for the same job at their workplace.
Sixty-one per cent of the male respondents and 47 per cent of the female respondents agreed to this statement, while globally 70 per cent of the survey respondents stated this.
Preferences for managers
When asked for preference, 70 per cent of the male respondents from India mentioned that they prefer a male as direct manager and in reality, a vast majority (87 per cent) currently have one. The figures deviate among women: only 41 per cent of the female respondents prefer a male as direct manager and 50 per cent have one currently.
Fifty-seven per cent of the overall survey respondents from India had a male manager preference and a vast majority (70 per cent) pointed out that currently, they work with a male manager. This was even higher than the global average of 67 per cent, who said they currently work with a male superior.
Presenting the survey insights, Paul Dupuis, MD & CEO, Randstad India, said, “Gender diversity may be high on the agenda for India Inc today, but what I believe is that diversity is not just a goal or a guideline, it is a business imperative. All the corporate and government initiatives are just a start, the real change can happen only when we succeed in addressing the deep-rooted mindsets about the role of women at work.”
“It is proven that diverse organisations perform better as this offers an assortment of knowledge and skills. An objective and ethical organisational philosophy that values an individual for the competencies they bring to the table is critical. After all, a country has truly evolved only when diversity in its true spirit is promoted across, with corporates setting the benchmarks, creating a conducive work environment for women. This will definitely help India reap rich rewards of economic growth as well,” he added.
Rewards and team spirit
Despite numerous reports highlighting the continuous gender pay gap, the study also found that a whopping 91 per cent of the respondents from India believed that at their workplace, both men and women in similar roles were rewarded equally. This is much higher than the global average of 79 per cent. Eighty-eight per cent also felt that both men and women are equally supported when asking for a promotion.
In heading a team, 93 per cent say that their direct manager plays an important role in setting the team spirit and 90 per cent also agree that their direct manager advocates company culture and sets the example for the rest of the team members.
Team diversity
On a more positive note, team diversity was highly appreciated by all the employees globally, who were part of this study. Eighty-nine per cent of the respondents from India said that they prefer to work in a gender-diverse team, while 86 per cent believed that gender-diverse teams perform and achieve better results than single-gender teams. And 61 per cent consider it a good thing that one gender is favoured above the other in order to meet the diversity target. Eighty-four per cent also believe that gender equality increases with the seniority of the job.